Barrio Vallarta

08 May

HIKING TO LAS ÁNIMAS BEACH: ADVENTURE MEETS PARADISE

I’ve always loved the idea of earning my beach time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily spend a day in a hammock with a drink in hand. But when I found out there’s a jungle hike that ends at a white sand beach only accessible by boat or foot… well, I packed sunscreen, bug spray, and a bottle of water, and set off.

The destination? Playa Las Ánimas, one of the most beautiful beaches south of Puerto Vallarta. But the real story is in the getting there.

📍 The Starting Point: Boca de Tomatlán

I left Barrio Vallarta Boutique Hotel early, grabbed a breakfast burrito from a street cart, and caught a short ride to Boca de Tomatlán, a sleepy fishing village just 25 minutes south of PV. It’s the kind of place where roosters still roam the streets and fishermen wave from wooden boats.

From the shoreline, you can see panga boats bouncing in the water and the jungle climbing steeply behind the town. That’s where the trail begins, and wow, it starts climbing fast.

🌿 Into the Jungle We Go

The trail to Las Ánimas winds along the coastline, sometimes hugging cliffs, other times ducking under thick palm canopies. It’s well worn but wild, expect to step over tree roots, balance on narrow edges, and break a bit of a sweat.

But the reward?

Every 10 or 15 minutes, the trail opens up to these jaw dropping ocean views that make you stop mid step. Blue waves crash against rocky outcrops below, pelicans glide past at eye level, and the jungle hums around you with life.

There are a few little beaches you pass along the way. Colomitos Beach is the first. It's small, quiet, and absolutely pristine. I couldn’t resist a quick dip. The water was crystal clear and completely still, like a hidden pool no one else knew about. A local told me that some people hike just to Colomitos and then turn back, but I was in it for the long haul.

👣 Friendly Encounters

As I walked, I crossed paths with all kinds of characters: local teens carrying coolers, a couple of expats doing the hike barefoot (why?), and a group of older women with walking sticks and wide brimmed hats who gave me tips like, “Stick to the left at the fork or you’ll end up in the jungle for real.”

I followed their advice. The trail got rocky in parts, but the birdsong and ocean breeze made it feel less like a workout and more like therapy.

🏖️ Arrival: Playa Las Ánimas

After a little over an hour of hiking, I heard it before I saw it: music, laughter, the soft thud of beach volleyball. And then, Las Ánimas Beach.

Wide, soft, golden sand. Beachfront restaurants with plastic chairs in the water. Hammocks strung between palms. Cold beer being served in buckets. And the mountain I’d just crossed rising behind me like a green fortress.

It was paradise, and I’d earned it.

🍹 Food, Drinks & Feet in the Sand

I plopped into a table at Tony's La Langosta, dropped my bag, and ordered a michelada and grilled mahi mahi. The food was incredible: fresh, simple, and satisfying in that post hike, sun drenched kind of way.

Kids played in the surf, couples sipped margaritas under umbrellas, and a trio of musicians played “La Bamba” while a group of locals clapped along. I could’ve stayed all afternoon.

And I did.

🚤 Getting Back (or Not)

By 4 p.m., I had two options: hike back or grab a panga. I chose the latter, my legs had earned the break. I paid the fare, hopped into a boat with five strangers and a dog, and we bounced along the water back toward Boca de Tomatlán, the sun still high and hot.

As we pulled away from Las Ánimas, I looked back at the stretch of sand and forest and couldn’t believe it had all been just a short drive and a hike away from downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Some beaches you drive to. Some you stumble across. And some, like Playa Las Ánimas, ask you to work a little, to earn your moment in the sun.

But when you finally walk barefoot across that sand, sit down with a cold drink, and look back at the jungle you just crossed, it’s not just a beach anymore. It’s a reward. A story. A little secret you now share with the sea.